Fsu Ignored Warning Signs

Sports Forum - Letters to the sports editor

June 5, 1994

WHY DOES the Florida media continue to praise FSU football coach Bobby ''Cry Baby'' Bowden even in light of the latest scandal? FSU did not deserve the national championship in the first place, and with the new revelations regarding agents and players, the NCAA should take it away.

Bowden portrays himself as a father to his players, and as such he should have known what was going on. If my son came home with new clothes, I certainly would want to know who paid for them. I would ask a lot of questions. Why didn't the coach ask questions? Could it be that he didn't want to hear the answers?

Barry S. Halpert, ORLANDO

AS A close follower of this state's three major-college football programs I was particularly interested in the recent developments around the FSU football players who have admitted they accepted large sums of cash and gifts from sports agent Raul Bey and others. This does not surprise me. What does surprise me, however, is that supposedly head coach Bobby Bowden '' . . . could not have known unless somebody came and told me.'' Maybe Chuck Ehrhardt, FSU's code compliance representative to the NCAA, should have informed him. Or perhaps coach Bowden should have asked Sean Jackson and Marvin Ferrell to explain the new $6,000 wardrobe they were sporting down in Miami just days before the Orange Bowl.

For years, FSU's program has survived near misses and shots across the bow by the NCAA, while other state universities have received thorough and swift punishment for arguably more minor incidents. An in-depth investigation must be made of the FSU football program as a whole by the NCAA.

Clayton Smith, CASSELBERRY

HOW COULD FSU's coaches not know that something was wrong? It's hard to imagine not knowing a star wide receiver had been getting cash payments since his sophomore year in high school. Or a cornerback paying $27,000 for a new car days before the Nebraska game.